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(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1. P. N. SLADE.

MINING MACHINE.

No. 583,409. Patented May 25,1897.

ORIIS PETE; 50.. rumoumo. wA'sw (No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. F. N.SLADE.

MINING MACHINE.

No. 583,409. I Patented May 25,1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

FRANK N. SL'ADE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE INDEPENDENTELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MINING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 583,409, dat ed May 25,1897. Application filed January 2,1895- Serial No. 533,662. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: worm-gear G on the shaft G Said shaft is Beit known that I, FRANK N. SLADE, a citiprovided at one end with thestationary clutch zen of the United States, residing at Chicago, memberG adapted to be engaged by the in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, sliding clutch member G on the shaft G to 5 have inventedcertain new and useful Imwhich the sprocket-wheel E is fastened. A

provements in Mining-Machines, of which the pinion G6 at the other endof said shaft G enfollowing is a specification. gages the gear-wheel Gon the short shaft G My invention relates to mining-machines, A pinion Gon the end of said shaft G meshes and has for its object to produce aminingwith the gear-wheel H on the shaft H. By 6: 10 machine providedwith a flexible feeding dethis construction the shaft H is driven at avice, of which the following is a description, much slower speed thanthe shaft G The reference being had to the accompanying shaft H isprovided with the stationary drawings, Whereinclutch member H adapted tobe engaged by Figure 1 is an elevation showing machine in the slidingclutch member H feathered to I 5 operation. Fig. 2 is a plan view of thesame. the shaft H to which the sprocket-wheel F Fig. 3is aview with themotor removed, showis attached. A shifting bar I, pivoted at 1, ing thefeeding mechanism. Fig. 4 is an enengages the sliding clutch members Gand larged side elevation. Fig. 5 is a section on H in the usual mannerand is provided with line 5 5, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detail. thecontrolling-handle 1 7o 20 Like letters refer to like parts throughoutSince the sprocket-wheels E and F run at the several figures. differentspeeds, the sprocket-wheel F can- I have shown in the drawings aminingnot be placed directly on the shaft H, it bemachine thatundermines the body of maing necessary to divide such shaft, as shown,terial by means of cutting-tools A A on the so that said sprocket wheelmay be discon- 7 5 2 5 endless belt A. Said endless belt works in nectedtherefrom when the sprocket-wheel E a groove in the guides A A which aresupis operatively connected with the motor. ported by the pieces A Aattached to the It will be seen that by this construction the frame ofthe motor B. Said belt receives its sprocket-wheels E and F may bealternately motion from the sprocket-wheel B. The connected with thearmature-shaft, so as to 0 frame of the motor B is adapted to move herevolved in the same direction, but at difalong the stationary guides CC as the cutferent speeds, and since the flexible chain or ting-toolsare fed forward. Said guides are rack D passes below the sprocket-wheelF and connected together by the cross-pieces C C. above thesprocket-wheel E, so as to be en- A flexible belt or chain D is fastenedat gaged by both, it is evident that the motor- 3 5 both ends to one ofthe guides C and is adaptframe can be moved back and forward along ed toengage the sprocket-wheels E F, assothe stationary guides C C.ciatedwith the motor-frame. Saidsprocket The sprocket B, that drives thebelt A, wheels are adapted to be connected with the carrying thecutting-tools A, is rigidly conarmature-shaft B of the motor, so thatthey nected to the vertical shaft A The shaft A 40 may be alternatelyrotated. is driven by the beveled pinion B, which en- Referring to Figs.3 and at, which show in gages the beveled gear-wheel A on said shaft.detail the connection between the motor-ar- The stationary guides C 0rest upon the mature'and the sprocket-wheels E F, a pinloosecross-pieces J J and are held in place ion B on the end of saidmotor-shaft engages by the jack-screws K K. The rivets or cross- 5 5 agear B on the short shaft B Said short pieces of the flexible rack orchain are reshaft is provided at one end with the bevelmoved at theends, as indicated atD D and gear 13 and at the other end with thepinion the driving-sprocketsE and F are so arranged B both of which arerigidly connected to that they engage the chain at different posisaidshaft. The pinion B meshes with the tions along the length thereof, sothat when 50 gear B keyed to the shaft B Said shaft is onesprocket-wheel reaches the place where provided with the worm G, whichengages the the rivets are broken out and becomes disengaged from therack, soas to stop the motion of the machine, the other sprocket-wheelwill still be in engagement with the rack, and hence when it isconnected with the motor the motor and accompanying parts may be movedin an opposite direction.

I have described these several parts in detail, but it is evident thatthey may be varied in form, construction, and arrangement and that theconnection between the motor and the flexible rack may be made in amanner different to that herein described without departing from thespirit of my invention, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to theconstruction shown.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

In operating the mining-machine I have shown and described it is thecommon practice to place the cross-pieces J J beneath the guides O C andthen jack said guides down by means of the jack-screws K K at each end.It often happens, on account of the unevenness of the floor or thecarelessness of the operator, that the guides O O are bent or sprungafter they are jacked down, as shown in Fig. 1. As mining-machines areordinarily constructed the motor-frame and accompanying parts are movedalong the guides CC by the engagement of a pinion on said motor-framewith a rigid rack or the like fastened to the guides G C. It is evidentthat when the guides C O are sprung out of line, as in the case of Fig.1, for example, the machine would not feed in a satisfactory manner.l\fining-machines, as a rule, are handled very roughly, and hence arigid rack is very likely to be sprung so as to cause an uneven mesh ofthe pinion along the entire length, the inevitable result of which isexcessive breakage of the pinion or rack or of both. These evils are allovercome by the use of my flexible rack, as the machine will be fedregardless of the position of the guides O C, and the chain is notlikely to be broken or injured when the frame is sprung out of line.

\Vhen the clutch members H and II are in engagement and the motorrunning, the sprocket-wheel F will be rotated in the direction of thearrow, (see Fig. 4,) and since it is in engagement with the flexiblebelt D the motor-frame and the belt carrying the cutting-tools will bemoved forward, and as the chain carrying the cutting-tools is in motionthe material against which they bear will be cut away, as shown inFig. 1. The motorframe will continue to move forward until thesprocket-wheel F reaches the point D, where the rivets or eross'piecesof the flexible rack are removed. IVhen this point is reached, theforward motion of the motorframe ceases, although the motor'armature isstill running and the sprocket-wheel E is still in engagement with therack. If now the shifting lever I be moved so as to disengage the clutchmembers II II and bring the clutch members G G into engagement, the

sprocket-wheel E will be rotated in the direction of the arrow (see Fig.4-) and the motor-frame and associated parts will be moved in adirection opposite to that of its former motion. The motor-frame will bestopped, as described above, when the sprocket-wheel E reaches the pointD where the rivets or crosspieces of the rack are removed and may bemoved forward again by moving the shifting bar I.

I consider one of the essential features of my invention to embrace thestationary frame adapted to be fixed in position for a definite periodand a moving cutter-carrying frame adapted to move along the stationaryframe, the two frames operatively connected by means of a flexible rackon one and the traveling device on theother, said traveling deviceadapted to engage the flexible rack, and when actuated to creep ortravel therealong, and thus move the cuttercarrying frame along thestationary frame regardless of the position of the stationary frame.

I claim- 1. The combination in a miningnnachine of a stationary framehaving substantially rigid guides, a cutter-carrying frame supported bysuch guides and adapted to move therealong, a motor on saidcutter-carrying frame, a flexible rack attached at both ends to oneframe and a traveling device on the other frame adapted to engage saidflexible rack when actuated so as to travel or creep backward andforward along the rack, thus moving one frame upon the other, theseveral parts so constructed and connected together that a complete,self-contained machine is produced substantially as described.

2. The combination in a mining-machine of a cutter-carrying frame, amotor mounted upon such frame, a stationary frame upon which saidcutter-carrying frame is supported and along which it is adapted tomove, a flexible rack fastened at each end to the said stationary frameand a connection between said motor and the flexible rack by which saidcutter-carrying frame may be moved backward and forward along thestationary frame, said connection so constructed that saidcutter-carrying frame may be moved backward and forward while the motoris running continuously in one direction, whereby a self-containedmachine is produced.

3. The combination in a mining-machine of a cutter-carrying frame, amotor mounted upon said frame, a two-part shaft operatively connectedwith said motor and provided at one end with a sprocket-wheel, a secondtwo-part shaft operatively connected with the first shaft and providedat one end with a sprocket-wheel, a clutch associated with each shaftand adapted to connect the two parts of each shaft together, astationary frame upon which said cutter-carrying frame is adapted tomove, and a flexible rack connected at each end to said stationary frameand adapted to engage the sprocket-wheels 5. The combination of astationary frame having substantially rigid guides with acutter-carrying frame supported by such guides, and adapted to movetherealong, a motor on said cutter-carrying-frame, a flexible rack attached at both ends to one frame, and a traveling device on the otherframe, said traveling device adapted to engage the flexible rack whenactuated so as to travel or creep backward or forward along the rack,thus moving one frame upon the other, said flexible rack having thecross-pieces removed at its ends, the traveling device on thecutter-carrying frame having two members adapted to engage said rack insuch a manner that one of said members will always be in engagement withthe rack while the other will be moved out of 0 engagement therewithwhen the on tter-carrying frame has reached either end of the stationaryframe.

FRANK N. SLADE.

Witnesses:

DONALD M. CARTER, FRANCIS W. PARKER.

